The present invention relates to guiding magnetic tape from tape reels across a tape access head.
Magnetic tape is commonly used to store voice and data information due to its reliability, cost efficiency, and ease of use. Magnetic tape may be made more useful and cost effective by increasing the density of information stored on the magnetic tape. One method of increasing information density is to decrease the thickness of the tape thereby permitting more tape to be stored in a given volume.
Decreasing the thickness of magnetic tape creates difficulties in a tape transport system. Thinner tape more easily stretches, increasing the possibility of read and write errors. Thin tape is also susceptible to folding, kinking, creasing, curling and other mechanical damage. Thin tape is more easily skewed relative to the tape head. These difficulties are exacerbated by complex tape transport systems requiring rollers, guides, pins, and the like to drive the tape and position the tape relative to the tape head.
What is needed is an effective tape transport system for thin tape. The tape transport system must be able to guide the magnetic tape past the tape head without causing mechanical damage. The tape transport system should further be simple, inexpensive, and easy to maintain.
It is an object of the present invention to guide thin magnetic tape past a tape head.
It is another object of the present invention to increase the volume density of information stored on magnetic tape.
It is still another object of the present invention to position magnetic tape relative to the tape head.
It is yet another object of the present invention to protect magnetic tape from mechanical damage along the tape path.
It is a further object of the present invention to reduce the complexity of the tape path.
In carrying out the above objects and other objects and features of the present invention, a tape transport system is provided. Tape extends between two reels. Each reel has a pair of parallel flanges between which the tape is held. Each flange has a radius greater than a radial distance covered when the reel is full of tape. The flange pairs are parallelly aligned. A tape head with a tape contact surface over read elements and write elements is positioned between the reels such that tape extends from one reel, over the contact surface, and to the other reel. The contact surface is curved so that tape is in contact with different regions of the contact surface based on the amount of tape on each reel.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the tape head moves in a direction normal to the direction of tape travel over the contact surface. This permits tape to be loaded and unloaded without contacting the tape head.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the flange pairs on each tape reel guide the magnetic tape over the tape head.
A method of guiding magnetic tape past the tape head is also provided. The magnetic tape is contacted with the tape head. The tape is driven in a tape direction from a tape pack formed in the first reel to a curved contact surface on the tape head. The tape extends in a straight path tangentially leaving the first reel tape pack and tangentially contacting the tape head contact surface. The tape is driven in the tape direction around a contacted portion of the contact surface. The contacted portion of the tape head is based on the amount of magnetic tape formed on each tape pack. The tape is driven in the tape direction from the contact surface to a tape pack formed in the second reel. The magnetic tape extends in a straight path tangentially leaving the contact surface and tangentially contacting the second reel tape pack.